By signcraft
Posted on Tuesday, October 8th, 2024
In SignCraft’s very early years, we learned of Tom Hutchinson, a Toronto-based showcard writer who was turning out beautiful hand-lettered cards for businesses across the city. By then, sign artists who specialized in hand-lettered signs done with watercolor paint on cardboard were few and far between, and usually found only in large cities.
Tom did everything from calligraphy for certificates to display cards for corporate customers to paper window signs to one-of-a-kind ads for restaurants and lounges. We featured Tom and his work in the Summer 1981 issue of SignCraft and later in the March/April 1988 issue.
His showcard designs were creative and engaging, always with a mood that fit the situation—whether it was slick and professional or bouncy and exciting. Computer-generated type had yet to become involved in sign making, so the letter styles Tom used to make this happen were traditional sign and showcard styles, along with styles based on typefaces.
When we were putting together “The Alphabet Book,” a collection of hand-lettered alphabets by top sign painters, we asked Tom to share a few of his. One of them was Stroganoff, which got its name from a showcard that he had done for a restaurant pitching their beef stroganoff special.
Tom later died of cancer. As computers were starting to be more widely used for sign work, Yoka, Tom’s wife, allowed us to digitize Stroganoff for use as a typeface that we shared with readers.
Stroganoff is a fun casual letter style that has the bounce that only hand lettering can create. Tom often played it against bold, stiff lettering, creating the crucial contrast that makes signs interesting to look at and read.
Download Stroganoff today for free and put it to work making your signs more appealing.
